The Weekend Australian yesterday published my piece on the outrageous arrest and continued detention of the great Iranian director Jafar Panahi (Offside, Crimson Gold, The Circle, The White Balloon). It's grim news, I'm afraid. See here for the full story.
Extract:
The filmmaker "was held in isolation in Tehran for a month before his wife was allowed to visit and found him 'very pale, thin and weak'. Confined to a small, shared cell without access to the jail yard, Panahi had been unable to exercise.
"Periodically he had been hauled out of his cell for lengthy interrogations, despite two episodes of severe chest spasms his doctor has explained as psychological while warning they could lead to a heart attack..."...
The New York-based executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hadi Ghaemi, says the filmmaker has become a symbol of Iranians' support for the opposition Green Movement, wearing its colours at overseas festivals and speaking openly about his disapproval of the violent post-election crackdown..."
See the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran website.
For media inquiries:
In New York, Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director
ph.: +1 917-669-5996
email: hadighaemi@iranhumanrights.org
In Hamburg, Aaron Rhodes, Policy Advisor
ph.: +49 170-323-8314
email: aaronarhodes@iranhumanrights.org
In Washington DC, Rudi Bakhtiar, Communications Director
ph.: +1 202-573-2046
email: rudi@iranhumanrights.org
Image of Jafar Panahi at the Melbourne International Film Festival, 2006: c/o The Australian
2 comments:
Great piece Lynden. As there's a world wide movement which started with small screenings between 15 - 21 April and has now spread to people showing films of Jafar's all round the world in support of the great artist, I hope Australia announces some screenings very soon!
Virginia: Thanks. Watch this space. If anyone is interested in organising some action in Australia, please contact me via email, facebook, or twitter - or send a private message here with your contact details (I'll keep it off the site)
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